Troy Parrott might not have got the goal his overall performance may have deserved but the Republic of Ireland striker put those thoughts behind him as he lauded the display of his fellow forwards in the 2-1 victory over Bulgaria at Aviva Stadium that put a seal on Nations League survival.
The 4-2 aggregate victory in the promotion/relegation play-off ensures that the Boys in Green will remain in League B for the next edition of the Nations League.
The second-leg win saw Evan Ferguson and Adam Idah score the goals for Heimir Hallgrimsson's side, although it was Parrott who led the line as the number nine for the 65 minutes before he was substituted.
His overall display earned him the Player of the Match award and speaking to RTÉ Sport's Tony O'Donoghue after the match, Parrott admitted that it was "no secret" that centre-forward was the role he finds most fulfilling.
"I've said before that's my favourite position and that's where I feel like I'm the strongest but I think we have a lot of quality in this team, you've seen tonight Evan with his goal, Adam came on and scored his goal," he said.
"I would've liked to score a goal for myself also but the most important thing is that we won the game."
Parrott came into this international window in good form for his club AZ Alkmaar where the Dubliner has scored 17 goals in all competitions, including in the Europa League.
"It's definitely close (to my best form) but as I said, for me it's all about contributing to the game. Obviously I want to score goals but if I can play like this then it's more important for me and I know the chances are going to keep coming and the goals will go in as I play more and more but I'm really happy with how tonight's gone," he said.
'It can only benefit us having three strikers that are all scoring goals and playing well' - Man of the Match Troy Parrott reflects on Ireland's 4-2 aggregate win over Bulgaria
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"As I said, we have a lot of quality, especially in attacking areas so it can only benefit us having three strikers that are all scoring goals and all playing well. It's better for us to keep pushing each other."
The one blemish from an Irish point of view was the propensity to concede the first goal in a game, although Parrott felt the response was again stirring.
"Obviously, it's not what we wanted. I think the goal this time was a bit on us but to turn it around and come back and win is a nice feeling," he said.
